


Dogs of War

by SunflowerSupreme



Series: Witcher (A/B/O) [37]
Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Alpha Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Gen, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Jaskier | Dandelion, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:46:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26863861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunflowerSupreme/pseuds/SunflowerSupreme
Summary: You’re alive! What happened? Is the Hunt defeated? Where’s Ciri?Dogs of WarThe havoc accompanying military conflict
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Series: Witcher (A/B/O) [37]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1598041
Comments: 16
Kudos: 79





	1. Chapter 1

A floorboard creaked.

Dandelion’s eyes snapped open and he sat up, looking around his room with wide eyes. He could hear footsteps in the hall outside his room, and it didn’t sound like Zoltan. The dwarf’s footsteps were far louder and slower than whomever was approaching him.

Slowly the bard pushed himself to his feet, limping toward the door and picking up a candlestick on his way. The door opened and he very nearly bashed Geralt over the head before realizing who it was.

“Dandelion!” The Witcher jumped back and stared at him in alarm.

“Geralt!” without thinking he grabbed the Witcher and pulled him into a hug. “You’re alive! What happened? Is the Hunt defeated? Where’s Ciri? What-”

“Dandelion, slow down,” Geralt said, returning his embrace. “Everyone’s alive.”

The bard pulled him into the room, pushing him to sit on one of the armchairs. “Talk,” he ordered. “Tell me everything.”

“The Hunt is defeated.” Geralt looked tired, and his clothes were worn from the road. But, for someone who had just fought the Wild Hunt (and apparently won) he was in shockingly good condition, with no injuries that Dandelion could easily pick out.

“Thank the gods,” he said, collapsing onto his bed with a pleased sigh. “What about Ciri? Did you take her to Emyhr? Or did she-”

“Not exactly,” he admitted. “Emyhr was killed by an assassin not long after we arrived in Nilfgaard.”

Dandelion’s brain struggled to process his words. “But… but that would leave Ciri as the main claimant to the throne-”

“Yes.” Geralt nodded. “She decided that the best thing she can do is to take the throne, at least for a while. She’s always wanted to help people.”

“I thought she wanted to be a Witcher,” argued Dandelion. “Geralt, take it from someone who’s spent years in Court-”

“She can travel through time and space,” Geralt said with a shrug. “Why not be a Witcher and an Empress?”

“Alright fine,” grumbled Dandelion. “You have a point.”

Geralt took a breath and studied him for a moment, then said, “She wants you to perform at her coronation.”

“Me?” Dandelion squeaked. “But- but Geralt I- is that acceptable? I’m an Omega-”

“It’s what Ciri wants.”

Dandelion nodded, still processing. Then he asked, “Did you kill Emyhr?” That was one death that he didn’t think he could be upset with Geralt over, even if he wasn’t thrilled over the continued death and destruction that seemed to follow the Witcher around.

Geralt snorted. “No, Dandelion,” he said. “It seems Dijkstra arranged for his assassination before I killed him, the assassin must not have gotten the memo that his employer was dead and went though with it anyway.”

“Well, I can’t complain, although I’ll have to come up with something better for the ballad.” He rubbed his eyes and yawned. “How did you get back so quickly? To have gone all the way to Skellige, then Nilfgaard, then-”

“A portal.”

“Ah.” Dandelion hoped that journeying to Nilfgaard wouldn’t involve another portal, since neither he nor Geralt were overly fond of them, but then, if he got them there quickly he supposed he couldn’t complain too much.

Well, he would probably still complain. It was what he did best, after all.

“When do we need to go to Nilfgaard?”

“Triss is downstairs,” the Witcher explained. “She’ll open a portal as soon as you’re packed.”

 _Damn it_ , he thought irritably. “Oh, well I had best start packing then.”


	2. Chapter 2

No one knew what to do with Dandelion.

Ciri had made it explicitly clear that he was to be treated as a guest of honor, but since his status as an omega was public knowledge, it wasn’t that easy. Within a few hours of their arrival one of the lower nobles had mocked him and offered to purchase him. Apparently the news that he was “Geralt’s” had reached Nilfgaard.

Ciri had ordered the man sent to the dungeon without a moment’s hesitation.

Then he’d been skipped over for a serving at dinner, because apparently Omegas weren’t allowed to eat in public. Ciri and Geralt had both put a portion of their meal on his plate while the Empress-to-be had been glaring daggers at the astonished nobles.

Dandelion had taken that as an invitation to eat Geralt’s entire desert and the Witcher had allowed it with only an amused glance.

After that, when Ciri had announced that she wished to hold a “counsel” with her advisors, a servant had attempted to lead Dandelion off. By that point, all she had to do was narrow her eyes and the man had apologized and hurried away.

They’d all retired to a plush sitting room, Ciri’s assorted “advisors” sitting on chairs and talking quietly amongst themselves.

A servant was bringing around wine for everyone, and Dandelion didn’t hesitate to say, “I’d like tea. Two lumps of sugar.”

The woman, who up until that point had been ignoring him, froze, then looked to Geralt for permission.

“If a member of my counsel gives an order,” said Ciri coldly. “Then you are to treat it as though it came from me.”

“The Omega is-”

“ _Dandelion_ is a member of my counsel.” 

“Yes, your highness,” the servant said, bobbing a curtsey and hurrying off.

“Can I fire them?” Ciri asked softly, leaning her head over the back of her chair and rubbing her eyes.

“Fire who?” replied Yennefer. “The servant? You could, if you wished.”

“The nobility.”

“Nobles can have their lands and titles revoked, they can be exiled or executed, but I don’t believe that ‘ _firing’_ falls under any of those categories,” explained Dandelion, scratching behind his ear. “Although, if you are going to tell someone that they’re fired, I’d like to be there to record it. It could make for an excellent ditty.”

Ciri nodded, setting her jaw in a way that Geralt knew meant she was determined. “What would happen if I declared all Omegas to be equal citizens?” Ciri asked curiously. She was looking at Dandelion, but he remained quiet.

“Anarchy,” said Yennefer after a moment. “The structure of society would collapse.”

“No,” said Dandelion quietly, shaking his head. “Nothing would happen.”

“But if Omegas had rights-”

“What?” asked Dandelion sharply. “They’d leave? And do what? What skills do they have? Being fucked? Bearing children? Laying about in bed? They can’t support themselves without Alphas, they don’t know how. I had servants to bathe me as a child because my father believed I was too stupid to do it properly.”

Ciri looked horrified.

“Dandelion’s right,” said Triss. “Omegas don’t have the skills to care for themselves, if offered freedom a few might take it, but they’d fall into prostitution or worse.”

“Then what do I do?” demanded Ciri. “I can’t leave them.”

“Worry about the children,” said Dandelion. “They should be recorded, Nilfgaard keeps a registry of unmated Omegas so that Alphas can find a suitable match. Find the children, educate them, and grant _them_ full rights and citizenship.”

“You would have her take them away from their families?” Yennefer asked doubtfully.

“Omegas aren’t seen as children,” Dandelion explained bitterly. “From the moment they present they’re livestock to be sold off to the highest bidder. An Omega child can pull their parents out of poverty or give a Lord a bargaining chip.”

“I could set up a school,” said Ciri thoughtfully. “Would that work?”

Dandelion seemed thoughtful, then nodded.

“Outlaw the Book,” said Geralt, speaking for the first time. “It’s called _The Care and Keeping of Omegas_.”

“I don’t believe it was as popular in the south,” said Dandelion thoughtfully. “Although I would like to see it burned.”

“Nilfgaard follows a similar ideology,” explained Triss. “But it’s codified into law rather than simply being a tradition.”

“My point stands,” Geralt said.

“We’re forgetting the most important thing,” said Dandelion. “Alphas.”

“Omegas don’t need Alphas,” said Ciri quickly.

“Alphas are taught from the moment they present that the world owes them an Omega. If you don’t change that then nothing will matter, Omegas will still be abused, they’ll be stolen, enslaved, and raped. But they’ll have tasted freedom, which would make it far worse.”

Ciri studied him for a moment, her face sad. “I will.”

“Continue what you’ve been doing,” Geralt said. “Every time you treat Dandelion as an equal people notice.”

“You’ll need more than just me,” he said. “If you only ever speak to me I’ll be seen as an exception, it will need to be more than that.” He sighed and pulled at his hair. “I don’t know many Omegas… but I’ll see what I can do. I’ll… put in a good word for you.” He seemed distinctly uncomfortable, which Ciri seemed to pick up on, steering the conversation away and back to other matters which involved Triss and Yennefer more than Dandelion or Geralt.

The Witcher patted his hand and squeezed it gently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes this chapter was short… but i wasn’t sure where else to go with it? Obviously theres a lot that needs to be discussed and i could have gone on and on (and I might still). 
> 
> But the next story is going to be a standalone and it’s going to include something that you guys have been wanting/dreading in equal measure for a long time.

**Author's Note:**

> I have some fun announcements to make! It’s [Whumptober](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1958032) & [Kinktober](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1959532) so I’ll be participating off and on in both of those (hit the links above to go to my series for them). It will be all Witcher stuff and probably mostly Geralt/Dandelion. 
> 
> ALSO I have a new AU that some of you have seen called [The Witcher and the Whore](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1928341) so if you haven’t seen that it’s probably right up your alley.
> 
> That DOES NOT mean that this series is done or abandoned or anything. I still have lots of ideas, mostly centered around Blood and Wine (Regis is my absolute fav I love him don’t @ me).


End file.
